Awesome! Congratulations on bringing your machine to life! What's perhaps equally or even slightly more important than the spark length is the spark...
Charles, Your VDG must be pretty impressive, guessing from the 3" dia. pulley running at 8,000 RPM. I'd like to see some photos of the construction details....
Thanks for all the input. I am in the process of writhing a report of the construction with plans. The column and most of the VDG are clear so I am just...
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CORRECTION: That sould have been 100KV maximum for every 3-1/2" of terminal diameter. So, a 16" diameter terminal would max out at about 457KV. Don Jacobs ... ...
Fiberglass is nice because it's pretty stiff. Cheap sources can be driveway markers (which are unidirectional and therefore extra stiff for their size) and...
There are conductive coatings of various kinds, not sure where on triboelectric series. Friction on aluminum DOES tend to produce black stuff that comes off. ...
Is it necessary that the belt and pulley be inside the globe for the VDG to work? Will it work if the globe's surface is not broken and a wire connects it to...
Hi Philip It is the principle of a terminal that you can add electrons from the inside that then travel to the outside, but if you try to get the electrons...
Phillip, Yes, the belt, pulley, and brush MUST be INSIDE the terminal. The VDG works on the principle of the electropherous and the Faraday ice pail. I will...
Has anyone in this group experimented with making an electret? I understand making them requires letting a molten insulating material solidify in a strong...
Don, I've been thinking about the icepail effect and how it applies to VDG's. However I'm having trouble with something... Other electrostatic generators...
well many early static generators worked with an exteral comb I once made a franklin generator with a sulfer ball which rubbed on piece of leather and used a...
Yes the design of the VDG is optimized for maximum voltage. But my point is that the other generators do not rely on internal collector combs or the typical...
The comb-inside-the-sphere configuration is not necessary to generate a charge, but it is necessary to attain the high voltages afforded by a VDG. If you...
Dave, You are correct. There are other ways to create a high-voltage charge that do not involve the ice pail effect. The original question, however, was about...
could anyone tell me where on the trib acrylic would sit if at all??? OH AND HAS ANYONE SEEN THE FILM PRESTIGE WITH DAVID BOWIE PLAYING TESLA (YET ANOTHER PART...
I have seen several messages of acrylic and triboelectric series but some say it is slightly negative and others say really positive for some reason but most...
HI again I was just viewing this VDG on ebay and have a question what is ABS plastic and where can I get some ? or is there a better material for the bottom...
HI to the group. I am having a fun time with the info here, and VDG's in general, so far. I have built a small one, that was capable of 6ua, but it isn't very...
Hi John: If fiberglass tape works for you great but I do not think the tape and glass are comparable. In fact, all glass tubes, cylinders, sheets etc are not...
Nik: Check the McMaster-Carr catalog on the web. They have just about everything for DIY folks and they take credit/debit cards. I got everything I needed from...
We are delving into the pure physics of how static electric charges are generated and what determines how much force (voltage) they yield to surrounding...
Craig, The voltage at the terminal surface IS greater than the voltage at the combs. This is because of the "Faraday ice pail" effect, one of the necessary...
Craig, Your are correct in what I'm saying!!The applied voltage being the field strength on the charge transporting medium. That is my question. Thanks for...
I personally feel that the actual voltage that is present at the combs (or brushes) is much higher than we think. Don's last message makes a very valid point...
Craig, No offense taken. If a wire from a voltage source was connected to the inside of a hollow conductive sphere, charge would be transferred until the...
That is an EXCELLENT clarification Don. Since the wire enters the sphere through a hole, the wire is very close to the outside surface of the sphere, and...
Don, Great explanation of the icepail effect and charging! I was relieved when I read it! I have a few books on electrostatics but they don't contain any heavy...
